Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Ward.
Hi Jason, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Photography has always been a passionate hobby, but I didn’t get serious about it until relatively late in life. My decision to take it up full-time resulted from burnout in my former career as a TV writer. I had somehow ended up working in children’s television and spent the last decade writing pilots for Disney and Nickelodeon, most of which never saw the light of day. I managed to make a living out of it, but creatively speaking, writing toothless jokes for ten year olds got to be rather soul-numbing. Meanwhile, I was getting my creative fix on weekends shooting street photography downtown. Downtown LA is the best place in the world for street photography as far as I’m concerned, and the images I was capturing reflected my sense of humor better than anything I was writing. So I did a career reset and went back to school to get my Bachelor’s and MFA in photography. Classic midlife crisis.
While I was at school, I was forced to take a portraiture class as a requirement. I was pissed because I always hated portraiture and the class was incredibly dull. It was just one demonstration after another on how to seat a beautiful person under soft lighting, hit the shutter, and pat yourself on the back for making a flattering image. The portraits all looked the exact same to me. So when I had to shoot my own, I aimed to make them conspicuous by being unflattering — to the point where it was absurd. I also inserted distracting props to add to the absurdity. In hindsight, I was being a wiseass. But the instructor, god bless her, thought I was on to something and encouraged me to stick with it. So my style evolved from there, and creative portraiture has been my niche ever since.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t even know where to begin. I guess the biggest hurdle is consistently coming up with interesting ideas to shoot. Early on I wasted a lot of time waiting for inspiration to strike. I overcame that hurdle when I found out that inspiration is a myth. The creative process requires work. Unfortunately.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The more I describe my portraits, the less compelling they become. They’re best appreciated or hated when viewed without context. The most I can say is that they’re heavy on irony, juxtaposition, and occasionally satire.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Best advice I ever recieved: “If everyone agrees with what you’re saying, then you’re not saying anything.”
Worst advice I ever received: “Just trust your instincts.”
Contact Info:
- Website: www.uncannyportraits.com
- Instagram: @uncannyportraits
Image Credits
All photos by J.Ward
